In 2017, National Geographic made a bold and timely foray into one of the most complex and pressing conversations of our time, gender identity, with the documentary Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric. Produced in collaboration with the renowned journalist herself and the creative minds behind World of Wonder, the film marked a significant moment in mainstream media’s engagement with trans and non-binary lives. Released on February 6, 2017, Gender Revolution aired on the National Geographic Channel, shortly after the magazine’s January 2017 special issue also titled “Gender Revolution,” which featured a young transgender girl on its cover, a watershed moment in media representation.
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This long-form documentary spans the deeply personal, the scientific, and the political, as Couric embarks on a cross-country journey to learn, unlearn, and illuminate the lives of people whose gender identities challenge traditional binaries. With curiosity, humility, and compassion, Couric opens a dialogue with individuals, families, medical professionals, activists, and academics, crafting a film that is equal parts educational and emotional. The documentary begins with Katie Couric reflecting on her own journey as a journalist and a woman. She recalls being inspired by Mary Richards, the pioneering character played by Mary Tyler Moore in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. That role made her believe that women could be central figures in media, not just reporting the story, but shaping it. Decades later, Couric takes that same spirit of inquiry and determination into an exploration of gender, prompted in part by public conversations and controversies that have erupted in the United States around transgender rights, particularly in education, healthcare, and legislation.
This context, both personal and societal, frames Gender Revolution as more than just a documentary. It is a process of learning for Couric and, by extension, the viewer. One of her first stops is New York City, where she meets with gender educator and comedian Sam Killermann. Killermann helps unpack the difference between biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, concepts that are often conflated but critically distinct. Couric delves deep into the lives of young trans people and the medical aspects of transition. In one particularly moving segment, she meets a family whose young daughter is undergoing treatment with puberty blockers. These treatments, often misunderstood and misrepresented in media and politics, are described by medical professionals and parents as a way to give children time, time to explore their gender identity without the distress of an unwanted puberty.
As the camera captures intimate family moments, the emotional stakes are made vividly clear. Couric does not shy away from difficult subjects. She confronts the heart-wrenching statistics surrounding trans youth and mental health, including the elevated risk of suicide among trans children who are denied gender-affirming care. The message is clear: access to supportive medical treatment can mean the difference between life and death. The documentary then touches on the history of medical theories of gender. Couric cites the work of John Money, the controversial psychologist who famously claimed that “nurture can supersede nature.” While his theories have since been widely criticized, especially in light of ethical failures in his case studies, they represent a historical moment in the medicalization of gender.
In San Francisco, Couric meets with Dr. Marci Bowers, a transgender woman and pioneering gender-affirmation surgeon. In conversations with Bowers and her patients, a new narrative emerges, one that shifts the language from “sex change” or “gender reassignment” to “gender affirmation.” The semantics here are more than cosmetic; they reflect a broader societal shift toward recognizing that trans people are not becoming someone else, they are affirming who they have always known themselves to be. The stories shared in Bowers’ clinic are intimate and deeply humanizing. Patients describe feelings of alignment, relief, and joy after surgery. These testimonies counter sensationalized or pathologized depictions of surgery and instead present it as a medical procedure aimed at improving well-being. Another powerful thread in Gender Revolution is the economic hardship that disproportionately affects transgender people. Couric speaks with trans activists and business owners like Michaela Mendelsohn, who is working to provide employment opportunities for trans individuals in the Los Angeles area. Mendelsohn stresses that many trans women, especially trans women of color, face unemployment, poverty, and systemic discrimination, all of which contribute to dangerously low self-esteem and mental health struggles.
Sabel Samone-Loreca, another trans advocate featured in the film, poignantly illustrates how marginalization and violence are a daily reality for many trans people in the United States. Their testimony is a sobering reminder that progress in media representation does not always translate into tangible safety or equity. No discussion of gender in America would be complete without addressing the political landscape, and Couric navigates this territory with care and conviction. She examines the implications of North Carolina's House Bill 2 (HB2), a controversial piece of legislation that required individuals to use public restrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate. The bill sparked national outcry, protests, and boycotts. Footage of civil rights activist Rev. William Barber II and former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch reveals the passionate resistance to HB2 and the defense of trans rights as human rights.
These moments ground the documentary in its historical context, at a time when trans issues were moving to the forefront of political debate in ways both hopeful and hostile. Couric continues her journey by visiting Gavin Grimm in Virginia. Grimm, a transgender high school student, became a national figure after suing his school board for the right to use the boys’ bathroom. His case went all the way to the Supreme Court, symbolizing the high stakes of what many dismiss as “culture war” issues. Grimm speaks with maturity and clarity beyond his years, highlighting the resilience and leadership of young trans people today. Later, Couric interviews Tamar Gendler, Dean of Yale College and a philosopher specializing in identity and the human condition. Gendler helps place gender identity within the broader philosophical framework of what it means to know oneself and to be known by others.
The documentary also takes a global view. In Samoa, Couric introduces viewers to the fa'afafine, individuals assigned male at birth who embody both masculine and feminine traits and occupy a recognized social category outside the Western binary of male and female. In Mexico, she explores the lives of the muxe, who are feminine-presenting individuals in Zapotec culture. These cultural case studies broaden the conversation, illustrating that gender diversity is not a modern Western invention but a global human experience with deep cultural roots. Near the film’s conclusion, Couric interviews Renée Richards, one of the earliest high-profile transgender women in the U.S. and a pioneer in professional tennis. Archival footage and photographs, including a moment captured with Caitlyn Jenner in the 1980s, highlight the changing visibility of transgender people over decades. Juxtaposing Richards, then 82, with Hari Nef, a 23-year-old transgender actress and model, Couric draws attention to the vast generational gap in how trans lives have been perceived, navigated, and celebrated.
Gender Revolution ends not with answers, but with a commitment to continue asking questions. For Couric, and for viewers, the film is a humbling journey through uncharted territory. It invites everyone, whether they are familiar with gender diversity or just beginning to understand it, to listen more, judge less, and approach people’s lived experiences with open hearts and open minds. This documentary is more than a media product, it’s a cultural touchstone. It marks a moment when mainstream America began, in earnest, to reexamine its assumptions about gender. And though the struggle for equality and recognition is far from over, Gender Revolution offers something deeply needed: a conversation led not by outrage, but by curiosity, compassion, and the courage to evolve. Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric remains a vital resource for educators, families, and allies. It’s not just a film. It’s an invitation to grow.
Image credits: Facebook
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